Gaming has definitely come a long way during the last decade. It used to be that gaming was considered as an irresponsible activity, a waste of time or, even worse, as detrimental to one’s lifestyle. I can still remember the stereotype of the ‘adult’ gamer: fat, dirty, and living at home in mom and dad’s basement. However, the reality in 2016, is very different: gaming, whether on consoles, handhelds or on PC is definitely on the rise, and it’s becoming an industry to rival some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster franchises not to mention other multi-million dollar industries.

 

As research has shown, society has definitely changed its tune on adult gamers. A recent study has found that those who play video games on a regular basis actually perform better when tested on a diverse range of subjects and skills. This is research that would have been buried at the bottom of the ocean somewhere even as close as five years ago, but today it is celebrated and publicly shared, because being a gamer is no longer taboo,

This is why nowadays there’s plenty of options for people who want to get their game on, from quick sessions on puzzle mobile games, to indie console games to AAA releases, not to mention all the options on PC that mix all options, not to mention other offerings such as online casinos where people can enjoy a virtual arcade casino experience at home or n the go – remember, not everyone can go to Vegas to try their luck at slots, the blackjack table or the ever elusive roulette.

A couple of days ago a friend visited while I was going into hour 30 of recent indie release No Man’s Sky, a game that features a ton of content and that can stand toe to toe with AAA releases from Ubisoft, Activision or Square Enix. As I unlocked one more trophy for my count, he scoffed, asking how I found the time to play video games when I have a wife and two kids. It was a weird reaction since my family is doing just fine and we get plenty of quality family time every day of the week, but it was even weirder since he does as much gaming as me – maybe even more – just in a different type of game.

He’s the type of person who can spend hours and hours mesmerized by the fast-paced action of Online-Casinos. When we hang out or go out, I usually see him on his phone for a few minutes at a time, quickly getting a couple of slot plays in before our food arrives at the table, or playing a quick hand of poker before we leave the restaurant.

I can understand his fascination with casinos, since both online ones and real ones are huge and continue to grow every day, and there’s something for everyone, since there are lots of options where people can play for free with no risk or some were they can use real money to try and gain some very real money. And what he does totally qualifies him as a gamer, so for him to scoff at me is pretty weird.

It’s not a stretch to connect the draw of online on websites to the addictive nature of several console releases such as puzzle game Peggle, or SMITE, the current hottest PlayStation 4 Free To Play (F2P) release. There’s plenty of things to do in both games, and when someone finds an element that clicks with them, be that Peggle’s arcade nature or the fast-paced action of SMITE, they are hooked. Peggle is a good example for the addictive nature of gaming, but SMITE is probably a better game when comparing console gaming with online casinos – it provides players with their “quick fix” of gaming without diving in too deep… until they do.

And then you have games such as Hustle Kings or Pure Hold’em that completely embrace the casino community with console takes on popular games. First one is F2P, so it might be easier to get the hang of since you can download it for free and try it out before deciding if you should give it some money or not. It uses something called Hustle King Credits (HKC), which you use to bet on each game, so the more you win, the more HKC you can get. You can also purchase HKC with real money. Pure Hold’em actually costs money to download and offers extra in-game purchases, extra modes and more if you want to spend your hard earned money. If you don’t feel likes spending a lot of time playing to earn some of the in-game currency you can make the most of the micro-transactions in the game to speed things up, which might scare some people away.

The 21st century has definitely allowed us gamers to become part of the mainstream, and that can only be a good thing because now our hobby – our main hobby in the case of most of us – is not something that invokes negative images in the minds of other people. Just remember that, as is the case for everything in life, there is such a thing as “too much” so be sure that your gaming sessions, whether on consoles, mobile or PC don’t end up becoming excessive.